The Asian Champions League will serve as the Asian qualifier for the Esports World Cup 2025.
Singapore-based esports agency Redd+E Pte Ltd was announced on Friday (21 March) as the official media partner of the inaugural Asian Champions League (ACL) 2025, a multi-title esports tournament hosted by Hero Esports that will also serve as the Asian qualifier for the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2025.
ACL 2025 will offer direct entries to the EWC for the winning teams in tournaments that span multiple games featured in EWC 2025, including Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, League of Legends, VALORANT, Honor of Kings, Street Fighter 6, Teamfight Tactics, Crossfire, and Delta Force.
The ACL 2025 will be broadcast live in various languages, with the grand finals of the events for the aforementioned titles taking place from 16 to 18 May. Below is the list of broadcast dates for the ACL 2025 grand finals:
- 16 May: Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2
- 17 May: League of Legends, Street Fighter 6, Crossfire
- 18 May: VALORANT, Honor of Kings, Teamfight Tactics, Delta Force
As the official media partner for ACL 2025, Redd+E will manage the media rights for all the game titles in Asia, except in China and other selected territories.
Redd+E said in a press release that the partnership “aims to bring the excitement of the ACL to more global audience, further solidifying Asia’s position as the epicenter of the esports industry”. In addition, ACL also serves to provide an international platform for top-tier esports competition and give Asian players the chance to shine on the global stage in events like the EWC.
"We're excited to partner with Redd+E. This collaboration combines our expertise in digital content innovation with Redd+E's cutting-edge fan engagement solutions, delivering immersive competition experiences through next-gen broadcast tech. Together, we're redefining competitive entertainment across Asia's esports landscape," said ACL CEO Jonny Wang.
“We are thrilled to partner with the HERO ESPORTS Asian Champions League and play a key role in bringing this groundbreaking inaugural event to a global audience. The ACL represents a milestone not only for Asian esports, but for the industry as a whole, especially as Asia continues to lead global viewership, with over 1 billion viewers. Our involvement as ACL’s official media rights partner reinforces our commitment to shaping the future of esports in Asia, and we look forward to delivering impactful, long-lasting engagements for the esports community through our works," added Yip Ren Kai, Managing Director & Co-founder of Redd+E.
As the official Asian qualifier for the EWC 2025, the ACL 2025 is set to kick off one of the most exciting periods in the 2025 esports calendar. The EWC itself will be hosted from 7 July to 24 August in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The list of announced esports titles for EWC 2025 include Dota 2, League of Legends, Counter-Strike 2, VALORANT, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Honor of Kings, Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, PUBG Mobile, PUBG Battlegrounds, Street Fighter, Tekken 8, Overwatch 2, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, Teamfight Tactics, FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves, Free Fire, Crossfire, Rocket League, EA Sports FC 25, and Rennsport. Chess has also been included in the EWC 2025 as its first non-esport title.
EWC 2025’s unique Club Championship cross-game format will reward Clubs, or esports organisations, and players with points based on their success in the games, crowning the top Club in the final standings as the EWC Club Champion. The inaugural EWC in 2024 featured 200 Clubs and 1,500 players from 100 countries competing in 22 tournaments across 21 games for their cut of a US$60 million prize pool.
